Post #32. Scuba – Triangulation. Electro novice Sasha says, “It sounds like we’re underwater. Who is this?” This is Scuba. Paul Rose’s second LP as Scuba is a brilliant progression for dubstep in that it flows with liquidity while remaining great dance music. It is in fact characterized by a general aquatic sound. Song climaxes are preceeded by pressurized lulls and break the surface with an added level of energy. By submerging his themes before they are fully realized, Rose creates anticipation that makes his music interesting and exciting.
Full youtube playlist here. No earbuds allowed! You must feel the bass. Tracers is my favorite (just wait for 1:40).
Post #31. You knew it was coming. I’m actually impressed with myself that I went 30 weeks without making a Radiohead post. Well, there are three reasons to do it now: 1. Radiohead and various band members have been writing and releasing singles recently, 2. Radiohead are currently recording!, and 3. I get to see Atoms for Peace (Yorke’s solo group) perform in Chicago on April 10 and I wanted an excuse to brag about it. (And, yeah, I took that photo at Bonnaroo.)
Radiohead – Harry Patch (In Memory Of). Gorgeous classical arrangement featuring Yorke’s isolated voice. This was written for Harry Patch, the last surviving British soldier of WWI, and released after his death last year. Yorke’s vocals are left untouched to portray Patch’s state.
Radiohead – These Are My Twisted Words. This song is as good as any of the tracks on In Rainbows and makes me excited for what they might be recording now. I love the trailing guitars and light kickdrum thump.
Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage. Song from Twighlight series New Moon Soundtrack. Way to expose those vampire-loving teenagers to good music, Thom!
Thom Yorke feat. Jonny Greenwood – Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses. This track is a pretty neat experiment in musical deconstruction. Instruments enter and exit as they please to contribute to the creepy groove. A less impressive track, The Hollow Earth, was included on the flip side of this release.
Thom Yorke – All for the Best. This is a lovely cover of a Mark Mulcahy song featuring Thom’s brother, Andy Yorke, on harmony vocals. This is from the tribute album Ciao My Shining Star.
Jonny Greenwood – Doghouse. This is an abstract classical piece that Greenwood was commissioned to write for the BBC Orchestra. It is similar to his earlier composition Popcorn Superhet Receiver, which was used for the soundtrack to There Will Be Blood. You can stream it here, but only for two more days. An interview with Greenwood starts about 26 minutes in and the actual piece starts around the 31 minute mark.
Phil Selway – The Ties that Bind Us and The Witching Hour. Two finger-picked acoustic songs. (The Ties that Bind Us is the better of the two.) From Seven Worlds Collide album The Sun Came Out.
Ed O’Brien (with Liam Finn) – Bodhisattva Blues. A basic rock song with some pretty neat guitar work. You can stream it here. From Seven Worlds Collide album The Sun Came Out.
Thom Yorke – The Present Tense. Beautiful unreleased song.
Album post #30. Midlake‘s third LP, The Courage of Others. Pitchfork is full of crap. This album is great. I agree that it’s not as good as The Trials of Van Occupanther, but it certainly deserves praise.
The element that stands out to me throughout the album is the consistency in direction and sound. The songs on this album are a more subdued folk rock, orchestrated by acoustic fingerpicking, vocal harmony, and flute. I’d compare the sound of Van Occupanther to The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac and that of The Courage of Others to the darker songs of Simon and Garfunkel and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Don’t listen expecting Cloudy, but something more along the lines of Hangman.
